🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@Kcmatt7 Gradey has disappeared
Dude needs to hunt for his shot - should be our 2nd leading scorer every game

Why this kj at the 4 lineup
This is where Duke has made their run

Kj scored on a drive - a first
The jalen Wilson show needs to stop move the ball
Get Kevin and Bobby I’m there

@benshawks08 he’s hit the guarded ones and missed the wide open ones

@BeddieKU23 his worst miss all year

Also - I see Juan completely controlling a game right now - Bill may be onto something with this coaching gig

@FarmerJayhawk I didn’t think they were that open maybe lol - but I did see them!

Gradey needs to double his shots take some of Wilson’s

@FarmerJayhawk throwing the ball away
Not sure we are watching the same game

Zuby and udeh suck at screening
Sit still let the guard run their man off you

@FarmerJayhawk we laboring right now

@wissox he’s eating popcorn loving the defensive show just cheesin hard though ha!

@Jethro we are the better team least what my eyes are seeing

Give them whitehead I still like our chances

@DanR that and he leaves ice cold chucker Joe in the game and pulls Bobby quickly

Just win tonight we are clearly the better team

Let’s close this half out 11-0 run with some threes

Kj to - already negative on the block defensively geez

@benshawks08 my feed is delayed my excuse

Yeah when kj is in and now Joe
Get udeh in and Joe out Joe don’t have it tonight

Don’t pull Bobby pull Joe
Brutal Norm

@FarmerJayhawk bummer wanted to play them at full strength

6-7 ridiculous athlete, can shoot it…would have been a tough defend for McCullars

He won’t get much run but Zuby as the third big is upon us! Hopefully he steps up and has a good game as I think kj and udeh get into foul trouble tonight!

Get boards, set solid screens without moving and run the floor big fella!

@Jethro was going to post that this morning. Anyone watch it? How did the buffs dog walk TN in their own gym?

@Jethro @dylans
I agree Unc has been down their first two games and not just early.

Unc had a hot run but Davis running point doesn’t scare me. UNC has the pieces and got hot for the second half of the year so rightfully number 1 but I don’t see anything that says they are just outright dominant

@BShark I watched about 15 minutes of them the other night. Cason is a stud and I get being without Oscar and not sure if Ware played but I wasn’t impressed.

To me Duke full strength is better than UK. Any team with Wheeler playing decent minutes I’m not afraid of.

@Zabudda said in Let’s talk duke:

Juan will get that sweeping layup going on as the season progresses. He and Bobby will be fine.

That and say 35% from 3 and we are pushing for a final four. If he’s Nova Juan offensively we are loaded. If he’s last year- regular season Juan then I hope Bobby ends up playing more minutes or it’s a 50-50 split.

Either way it is really nice to watch a team take care of the ball. Hopefully this translates when the game speeds up against legit athletes starting Tuesday

@jayballer67 Bill wasn’t lying about mj like he was with Juan shouldering the scoring loan

@jayballer67 I really hope you’re right but from the lineups we’ve seen this won’t happen.

Kj or Udeh start

The other comes off the bench

Zach spells them

Zuby may see 3-4 minutes in the first half but I doubt anymore than that

@Jethro Duke to me is no doubt a top 5 team in the country. They’d smoke UK and the Zags right now.

Great test early on can our speed negate their size?
Can our defense travel and we turn over guys more athletic than us?

We have to shoot it well because we will not get many easy baskets at the rim.

Duke way up - Mitchell started after coming off the bench yesterday.

Wish we’d landed him he’d been a stud for us

@jayballer67 you and me both!

@jayballer67 lol you ain’t lying that’s for sure Timme needs to move on dude sucks. There’s a reason he hasn’t went to the league yet and living out his bmoc days as long as he can flexing his pipe cleaners after every and 1

Zags overrated - Duke would blow the doors of them just like UT did

@Jethro hadn’t thought of this but you are right. Kinda scary honestly because all the freshman will be much better in Feb-Mar versus how they look Tuesday

@benshawks08 gotta love that Self quote as if it’s not the entire point of the sport putting the ball in the hoop.

He will go to his grave preferring a 44-43 win over 90-89

@jayballer67 Z being Zach my bad

He’s regressed and honestly looked better against Michigan state and spot minutes last year than this year which is concerning.

With this squad Udeh and Zuby are better fits

Saw it but pointing out your flawed argument in ppg.

Juan WHEN paired with kj and WHEN Juan doesn’t look to score or drive then yes, that will be the reason we’d get blitzed by a team like Duke. That’s 2 players who provide nothing offensively besides passing it around the perimeter and if Kevin doesn’t look to drive and can’t shoot that makes 3.

You can play great defense but good O in basketball will win out. Kids can make shots with a hand in their face.

I think you’re taking my stance too far similar to how you actually thought people were seriously clamoring for Jank to take Juan’s minutes and completely missing no one on this board or who follows KU basketball would seriously mean that.

You’re fired up today though - keep it up we gonna need that energy for the dork devils

@Zabudda said in Way Too Early Line-up and Player Thoughts:

Juan makes me feel warm and safe both on offense and defense. He's not going anywhere soon.

Juan can defend and takes pride in it. As much as I don’t enjoy watching him offensively he’s the one guy on D I constantly follow and ignore the ball. He’s a stud defensively.

If he can knock down a few threes or get to the line more my gripe offensively would dial back. Self shouldn’t say he can shoulder the scoring load if it isn’t true though did the kid no favors before the season.

You are absolutely right Bobby is legit and zero drop off when he comes in. Better offensively and he’s been scraping getting steals defensively.

This is Bills type of team better defensively than offensively, has a legit athletic big. Only thing we are missing is the ability to throw it in down low and score otherwise this is the type of team I’d see him draw up.

Honestly wish we’d give up on the Z train and let Zuby play more. With our wings we have enough scoring and Zuby will at least look at the rim when he catches it or rebounds it under the basket.

In limited minutes last year, Z had some great moments but he looks all out of sorts and actually slower than before. It’s as if the game hasn’t slowed down for him mentally but sped up which makes no sense his second year in the system.

The 1 free transfer is going to allow Bill to win more titles. KU has great recruits but we are never on Duke or UK’s level.

Bill has to have and loves experience so with the 1 free transfer he can get that.

I’d expect him grabbing a 6-8 Wilson type (hopefully same shooter but more athletic) in the portal to pair with our guards and bigs

@jayballer67 the issue is KJ can’t score right - we agree there?

Juan isn’t a scorer either and he doesn’t drive half as often as Bobby does. We agree there?

Bobby scored 13 on 7 shots playing 17 minutes against Omaha

Juan scored 11 on 13 I repeat 13 shots that’s horribly inefficient and played 33 minutes

If you are comparing ppg without factoring in minutes per game and what you see with your eyes I can’t help you there

Just box score watching seems to be what you are doing with your ppg theory

There is a reason that Pettiford is higher on PER and we score easier even if it is Pettiford and Kj paired together.

Juan with Kj does not work offensively yet it seems to be our starting 5 so I expect some slow starts out of the gate

Which would be interesting since are we technically ranked higher. I agree though I think Duke is better but not sure. Will be a great measuring point early in the season.

Bahamas is a good group of teams with TN, then Indiana at home and big 12 slate plus a great game on the road to UK testing us late.

All this to be said yet after the home collapse to UK last year I wrote us off….clearly I am so knowledgeable

@jayballer67 how many lobs did he throw? He drive and kick out for a trey?

Only assist I remember is when he ran in circles around the paint tip toed and hit Jalen who made that assist with a really athletic finish.

Juan doesn’t often drive the paint and dish.
He had the and 1 as well but that’s all I can remember compared to Bobby it’s drastically different.

8 points for pg when paired with Kj won’t work

@jayballer67 don’t entertain them it’s sarcasm man lol - no one thinks Jank should take Juan’s minutes

@jayballer67 it’s Juan and KJ two complete non threats to score.

Their defenders sag way off them clogging up lanes so we can’t drive and kick. Wilson will get his stuff blocked and Kevin can’t hit anything but a mid range jumper right now. Hopefully his shot gets going but with our starting lineup we have 2 scores, 2 guys who don’t look to score nor penetrate much and 1 guy who doesn’t even know there’s a basket at that end.

Bobby’s lobs to Udeh are created by pnr which are his main assists. He also gets into the paint when Juan doesn’t nearly as much.

You can quote assist numbers but Juan’s are passing it around the perimeter to Gradey or Wilson knocking down a three. You or I can do that.

Juan isn’t penetrating and dishing like Pettiford there is a drastic difference and against better teams we will see.

Juan also didn’t play for 10 minutes of the 2nd half of the title game. There is a reason for that. He mounted the defensive run and handed the reigns over. Will be similar this year most games with Bobby. Bobby is to
Impactful to leave off the floor.

Long, athletic (even if Whitehead doesn’t play), experienced pg in roach, big footers who can shoot the 3. They are going to give us all we can handle.

I hope we can use our speed and push things offensively because we won’t get near as many easy buckets as these first two games.

If we don’t shoot the ball well from deep and especially if Wilson is off we lose.

I’m curious to see how KJ does against this length along with Udeh. Does he catch as many lobs, does he get into foul trouble, can we board with them?

Does our defense translate and we force turnovers with scrappy hands like we’ve done? Do we continue to take care of the ball because our pg’s have been phenomenal. I remember all those years with tyshawn or ej and we’d turn it over all the time. With Juan and Bobby along with experience with Wilson and Kevin we don’t play stupid.

Prediction:
Kansas 78
Duke 74

Oddly enough I think we win a close one or I think we lose by 8-10 - talk about a prediction straddling the fence.

If we start Juan and KJ expect to get down 10/12-2 by the 16:00 mark then Udeh and maybe Bobby check in and we claw our way back.

You nailed it that’s why I don’t think it’s even possible for someone to unseat Juan. Juan is Bills security blanket. He starts the game off and runs things as Bill wants to see what works.

The key is playing Udeh at the 5 against Duke because KJ will get eaten alive. He literally caught a dime from Bobby uncovered and didn’t even look to score thinking he had a 6-10 slow white guy on him. Wait until it’s Lively. Udeh has to play and honestly Zuby should be some as well because I’m off the KJ train. He excels against these scrub teams but once we play legit D1 competition we will all see the huge drop off offensively as we labor to score. Kj doesn’t even look at the rim or to drive and kick - it’s brutal.

Bobby with his ability to get in the paint at will, throw perfect lobs (Juan is clumsy), and hit floaters (Juan can’t) is 100% the reason he should start and at worse play more minutes.

I view the team in lineups based on offense/defense depending on what we want to control.

Defensively best lineup
Juan
Kevin
Gradey
Wilson
Udeh

Offensively
Bobby
MJ or Joe whoever’s hot but I lean MJ
Gradey
Wilson
Udeh

Your squad of who will play is right on. Seems Clemence is over Zuby for scrub big minutes. Mj and Joe is the other one to see who is knocking down shots will then play the most so it’s a game to game thing.

@BShark I loved that Baylor team 4 guards 1 big who would block shots, defend the post and rim run (exactly what Udeh can do).

The 4 guards could all attack off the bounce and shoot it that was the key.

We have 4 guards who can do this we just don’t play them the most minutes or often together.

Bill values defense over offense unfortunately and even the best defensive teams in basketball will get beat by guys who can make shots often tough ones

@FarmerJayhawk does it suggest Udeh will start and be the guy going forward? CJ is great I probably need to pony up the $1-$2

@Jethro agreed gotta role with Udeh and let kj play as a spark off the bench.

Same for Bobby he needs more minutes and Joe less.

McCullars is going to have a breakout game shooting hopefully against Duke (he had 17 against them in the tourney last year when tech should have won). Article on him working on his jumper when it starts to fall we got 3 legit wings scoring that’s going to be money.

@approxinfinity Gradey’s arms hang down to his knees great length which is why he’s so good at tipping passes on defense - like we’ve seen already.

Gradey’s can jump high just takes him longer to get there.

Gradey’s head is at the backboard and Och’s is at the rim. There is a difference

@drgnslayr great post and love the enthusiasm!
Yes, it’s Omaha and always early we score 90-100 and walk away with “how will anyone stop us”. Then we play Duke, uk, Msu and labor to score against guys more athletic and we are brought down to earth.

Still great analysis and excited to watch this team grow. It’s a bye year for all I care we won the natty last year!

If everyone sees that kj and Juan when played together kill the offense I’d love to know what the coaches think because we know they’ve had the same conversations amongst them.

@FarmerJayhawk
@Crimsonorblue22
@BShark

@benshawks08 I was too afraid to knock him as I’m mr negative on this board already but 100% saw the same thing.

He is not a quick jumper aka explosive or quick off his feet.

Case and point was he was under the basket in better position but the athletic Omaha big was quicker off the floor and tipped the ball off the backboard then grabbed it then he was fouled by Grady or Wilson. Neither are just quick/explosive ect when jumping (think Withey or a center winning a tip there is a quickness factor in jumping as odd as that sounds).

Don’t compare height of a jump to Och that ain’t fair lol. It’s like Och and Wiggs than everyone else ha!